Houseplants and Routines

14 April 2021

“…maybe I’ll actually learn something from messing around in the bushes once this is all over.” --An (interrupted) opening sentence from a certain piece of fiction

I bought a couple houseplants while grocery shopping a week ago, the endpoint of a lot of waffling around the plants on sale at the myriad of stores I visit. I’ve pretty much become a NEET due to graduating during the pandemic, leaving me with mountains of free time outside of writing, but also desperate for something resembling that unexpectedly-sorely-missed structure college gave me.

Trying to nourish a tiny life to flourishing had always seemed like it would be a nice addition to my daily routine. But unfortunately, I ended up getting a pair of succulents, which apparently only really need to be watered about once every two weeks. So, the only real addition to my day is just pulling up the blinds by my desk and plopping them on the windowsill every morning, then taking them off in the evening. “Simple Care” was written in giant letters on the cardboard thingy I carried them home in though, so I probably shouldn’t complain about getting what I paid for…

Both plants are from the same family, Crassulaceae: the one on the left is Crassula ovata, commonly known as Jade plant, and the right is the propeller plant, Crassula falcata. They’re pretty small, about half the size of my hand (though I have no idea how my hands stack up compared to others), small enough that I had to order a special tiny watering bottle with a nozzle instead of a funnel so it can’t flood the lumps of soil they’re nestled in. I think I only spent around $25 for everything; which is good, since I’m still unsure how long I’ll be in my current living space. I’ve doubts about them making the transfer if I do move anytime soon—they’re so small, it feels like it’d be kinda easy to lose them among what little things I do have. Apparently they both can grow flowers if you treat them well enough in the summer, so I’m hoping it’ll happen after then!